Jennette McCurdy cracks you up as Carly Shay’s BFF
Sam on the hit Nickelodean show ‘iCarly’. Did you
know that besides being a successful actress, she is
also a super talented country singer and her single,
‘So Close’, raced up to number 16 on the iTunes
country chart?! There is so more to Jennette McCurdy
than meets the ‘i’! Here’s the scoop on this
multi-talented teen:

Jennette McCurdy

Birthday: June 26, 1992

Hometown: Garden Grove, California

Favorite Colors: Pink and Purple

Favorite Food: Her mom’s spaghetti and
meat sauce

Favorite Dessert: Ice cream

Favorite Bands: Daughtry and Plain White
T’s

Favorite Books: “Beowolf”, “Harry Potter”
and “Lord of the Rings”

Career Goal: To attend film school and
become a director

A+ Actress
Jennette’s acting career started at age eight when
she guest starred on ‘Mad TV’. “I met an actor who
became my best friend. She and her mom directed me
toward agents and so forth”, says Jennette of her
start in the acting business.

Jennette’s acting talents and girl next door charm
won her many roles. She has made guest appearances
on hit TV shows including ‘CSI’, ‘Malcolm in the
Middle’, ‘Lincoln Heights’, ‘Will & Grace’, ‘Zoey
101’ and ‘True Jackson, VP’. In 2003, she even got
to act alongside her idol from ‘Star Wars’, Harrison
Ford in a movie called ‘Hollywood Homicide’.

Her big break came in 2007 when she landed the role
of Sam Puckett in the Nickelodean show ‘iCarly’. The
show has been a hit with fans from the start!

How similar is Jennette to her show’s crazy
character, Sam? “Me and Sam are similar in that were
both a bit edgy and kinda wacky, but I’d say Sam is
kinda me to the tenth level. For example, I wouldn’t
go smashing boys into lockers or anything like that.
And Sam hates school and I love it.”

Overcoming Hardships
Although Jennette may be living every girl’s dream
right now as an actress and teen celebrity, her life
was not always so wonderful.

When Jennette was very young, her mother was
diagnosed with cancer. “The cancer had been
misdiagnosed, so it was very severe once
discovered”, says Jennette. Her mom had to undergo
aggressive treatment that left her in the hospital
for weeks at a time.

While their mom was gone, her older brothers tried
to take Jennette’s mind off their troubles by
playing games and watching movies with her. “One
that we all watched over and over was ‘Star Wars’.
We knew we needed the force”, Jennette says. In
fact, it was ‘Star Wars’ that inspired Jennette to
become an actress and it still ranks as one of her
favorite movies of all time.

Happily, Jennette’s mom recovered from her cancer.

McCurdy’s Music
Jennette has always loved music from the time she
was little. “I have been taking piano lessons since
I was four”, she explains. She has a love for
Country/Pop music and the strong vocals to take her
music to the top of the charts. Her first album,
featuring the singles ‘So Close’ and ‘Homeless
Heart’, is due out June 2009.

The song,’Homeless Heart’, has a very personal
meaning for Jennette. “It’s dedicated to my dear
friend Cody Waters… in fact, 20% of the proceeds
will be going to the Cody Waters Foundation, in
honor and loving memory of little Cody, who I miss
so, so much…”, says Jennette. Cody Waters was a
friend of Jennette’s who recently passed away at
nine years old from brain cancer.

So take the time to get to know Jennette McCurdy.
You will see what a humble, inspirational and
multi-talented girl lies behind the comical
character of Sam on ‘iCarly’!